Alloy.



' UN T D. STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD B. cimrr AND roNA'rnAfN w. Bazaars. or naoxENsAox, NEW JERSEY, AS-

sreuoas r WESTERN ELECTRIC COMPANY, or emoaeo, mnmois, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

ALLOY.

No Drawing.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, EDWARD B. CRAFT and JONATHAN WKHARRIS, citizens of the United States, residing at Hackensa'ck, in the county of Bergen and State of New J ersey, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Alloys, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description.

Our invention relates to an alloy for use in connection with electrical apparatus, and more 'particularly'to an alloy which may be employed as a substitute for platinum in electrical contacts.

The object of our invention is to provide an alloy which is cheaper than platinum, and which nevertheless possesses the properties which render that metal valuable for use in connection with electrical appliances.

Our invention consists of an alloy of gold, silver and some metal, such as platinum, capable of imparting hardness to the alloy.

The silver is introduced in quantities suflicient to materially lessen the cost, with out destroying the non-tarnishing property of .pure gold, which latter metal constitutes the larger portion of the alloy. This mixture of gold and silver is so. alloyed with sufficient quantities of the hardening metal, preferably platinum, to produce the degree of hardness required in material for electrical contacts. The alloy is composed of the above named constituents in about the following proportions: gold, 67}to 70 per cent.; silver, 25 per cent.; platinum 5 to 7% per cent.

-The working requirements for contacts of electrical apparatus make itessential to restrict the component metals of the alloy of our invention rather closely to the proportions given above.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Oct. 19, 190i Application filed February 24, 1909. Serial No. 479,798. I i

of silver without unduly increasing the cost of the alloy. As to the proportion of platinum, we have found that the physical properties of the alloy begin to be injured se- "precious metals. The proper proportions of the three constituents are weighed out and placed in a crucible, and there subjected to a heat suflicient to melt the material. Considerable care, however," mustbe exercised in order to insure the unifdrm alloyingand mixing of the constituents, and it'is preferable to remelt the alloy one or more times after the-first melting in order to insure the perfect mixing of the constituent metals.

This, however, is standard practice, and

further description thereof is unnecessary. The alloy of gold, silver andplatinum in the proportions above mentioned has been found to possess practically all the characteristics peculiar to platinum, and furthermore, the advantage of being considerably cheaper than platinum, and somewhat harder than that metal. 7

We claim:

1. An alloy composed of 67-} to 70 per cent. gold, 25 per cent. silver and from 5 to 71} percent. of a hardening metal.

2. An alloy composed of gold, silver and platinum, in approximately the following proportionsz'gold, 67% to 70 per cent.; silver,

25 per cent.; platinum, 5 to 7-} per cent.

-- In witness whereof, we, hereunto subscribe our names this 23rd day of February, 1969.

EDWARD B. ORAF JONATHAN W. HARRIS. Witnesses:

D. C. TANNER, Rosa FlNnwoo'mn. 

